Anciano Research Collection

The following is also an interesting 19th century journal of an Englishman (?) who traveled in the island of Luzon after his journey in HongKong. Fortunately he had been to Silan, traveling from the Taal Lake up to the steep ridge and was able to describe the rural scape and way of life of the town. For easy viewing, the highlighted notes relates to his narration of Silan. The author had a tendency to intersperse his narration with retrospects or insights of his previous experiences making the journal somewhat confusing as it jumps from one topic to the other. However, it still provides the necessary information to get a glimpse of the time past.

We will also provide some visuals This entry is made possible through the research of Prof. Daniel Anciano of Cavite State University-Silang Campus based on:

My steed again—Ulterior effects of the preserved salmon—The mountain declivity—Lost in the grass—Traces of game— Up-hill and down-hill saddles—A critical situation—liulliilm-s —Crossing the line—Digression concerning the water-buffaloes of China and Luzon—Anecdotes—Their domestic value— Continued indisposition of tlio author—His acquaintance with a wasp—The lowlands—Arrival at Silan—Its cleanly streets and pretty houses—An Indian lodging—Description of the house—Bamboo and nipa palm—Scavenger pigs—Reminiscence concerning the sacred pigs of China — Pork-eating Chinese—Their singular ailments and cures—Roman Catholic charms—Pictures—An Indian family—Notions of the simple natives—The Padre’s cook—Spanish travellers—Cock-crow— The priests’ imaginary repast—Start for Cavite—The rival equestrians—Mill-streams—A gallop to Imos — My memory at fault.

WE were awakened by the hospitable cabo, soon after daylight, and with a pull at our old friend of tried metal (though of pewter), and some remuneration to our hosts for their attentions, we started on our descent of the opposite or north-western side of the Sanguay , with a view of crossing to Cavite, distant, as before-mentioned, about forty miles, and through a little frequented country.

As my steed approached, the compliments of the morning in the shape of his usual salute, and the exertion required to keep clear of his heels, brought for the first time to my knowledge the fact of my feeling exceedingly unwell. Whether the cause of my indisposition was to be attributed to over-exertion the day before, the metallic flavour of the water of the lake, the fluid mixed with it to correct this, or the sudden change from a densely heated to a cold, raw, damp mountain air, or, finally, to the preserved salmon, or to a combination of these causes, it is hard to say, and but unprofitable to inquire. Whatever the cause, the effect was an intense headache, accompanied by a sensation of sickness and giddiness, to such a degree that I was hardly able to keep my seat in the saddle, and, had it been practicable, I should certainly have cried a halt for a few hours. This, however, was not to be thought of; we, therefore, proceeded slowly onwards—as, indeed, the nature of the ground would have rendered necessary under any circumstances.

For the first mile or so, the road led along a narrow but tolerably well-defined bridlepath, rocky, however, and encumbered here and there with stumps and fallen trees, but every now and then breaking out into open grassy patches of slight declivity.

Possibly an extraordinary wild dream that had kept me hovering all night among the mist-clouds that overhung the lake of Taal , listening to tantalizing and unapproachable nymphs of air and water, who touched their harps to dulcet lays, or sported on “mailed caymans,” might have been in some way connected with it.

Then we had to wade through a tract of vegetation so wild, rank, and gigantic in height, that, as we forced our way onward, we seldom saw more than the ears of our horses; and occasionally the coarse grass, mingled with sugar-cane and the produce of self-sown grain of several descriptions, rose to a level above our own heads, and we had to call out to ascertain each other’s whereabouts. This lasted for some three or four miles, and though it possessed the charm of novelty, and perhaps, under other circumstances, would have been a little amusing, I felt rather harassed by it, situated as I then was. Emerging at length, we discovered that the cargadores, who were also supposed to be good guides, had—and no great wonder at it—lost their way, and not the sign of a practicable path was there in any direction as far ns the eye could reach.

They were lawless-looking ruffians, and we could not help a misgiving as to whether they had not purposely led us astray into the neighborhood of an ambush of Tulisanies; but as they began to show an earnest desire to redeem their error, the feeling soon wore off, and we commenced beating about separately in all directions, to recover the lost track. In many places the traces of large game, wild pigs and deer, were visible; but we had none of the requisites for hunting at hand, except our guns, and the wild animals had not the courtesy to come forth to be shot.

It was in rushing up and down the steep declivities of this wilderness, while thus employed, that I first began to discover the want of that part of a saddle, to the necessity of having which, particularly when riding a small-shouldered steed in a hilly country, I have already alluded. One of the two girths attached to my saddle had been, by the knowing ones who prepared the horse for his journey, drawn across his chest, instead of its usual position under him, and this had most effectually kept the saddle in its place, and quite hindered it from slipping backwards; but unfortunately, for various reasons, a similar arrangement in the opposite extreme was not practicable to hinder it from coming forwards in the descent The consequence was that, though the most devoted martyr to tight-lacing might have envied the state of the girth, while going down the steeps, our little animals might have been mistaken for elephants —seeing that their riders bestrode their necks rather than their backs. In one instance, in particular, we came so suddenly on the brink of what might almost have been called a precipice, that, turning to retrace our steps would have been inevitable destruction, though, I must own, advancing appeared to hold out little else. My companion took the lead and dismounted; but, partly from the peculiar propensities of my steed, and partly because I thought it safer to trust to his surefootedness than my own, I thought it better to ride than to lead him; though quite foreseeing that, if we had the good fortune to escape rolling head over heels to the bottom, my heels and his head must be in very disagreeable proximity long ere we reached the desired goal. But to the pencil rather than the pen must fall the task of delineating a little episode that, though accomplished in safety, I do not think either of us had the slightest wish to repeat.

Whether it was really a road on which we eventually struck, is a matter that has always appeared to me doubtful; but, as we knew we were proceeding in the right direction, the prospect of the end lightened the difficulties attending the means; cheered also by the assurance that if our saddles were all wrong in going down-hill, they would come all right again in going up, we proceeded, if not in a spirit of hilarity, at all events in one of resignation, and here and there we came on a patch of grassy plain, which always proved a great relief.

In crossing one of these little oases, and passing between two huge buffaloes that I had not noticed were tethered to cross lines pegged into the ground, my horse got his feet entangled with both ropes, and, in the endeavour to extricate himself, gave such tugs at the noses, or rather snouts, of these ungainly brutes, that, added to their hatred against white men, and their frequently very savage temperament, was quite sufficient to induce them to charge us or bolt away, either of which would have been a rather disagreeable proceeding. In the one case, considering their weight and size, they must certainly have upset us, if they did nothing more; and in the other, there was every probability that by suddenly tightening the ropes, they would have tripped the horse’s legs from under him, and produced a similar result

I must confess, as the ugly brutes snorted and grunted, turning their noses up with all manner of contortions, and pawing the ground, that I felt a strong inclination to jump off, and leave my steed to his fate; and had they charged, I certainly should not have been Quixotic enough to have waited the result; fortunately, however, for some reason best known to themselves, possibly from not knowing what to make of a European, they remained stationary for a few minutes, and gave us time to disentangle ourselves.

Some writers speak of these domesticated buffaloes as being similar to the wild ones of Luzon; but I am inclined to think that the latter partake more of the character of the bison—at least, judging from the description of their fleetness and activity, and somewhat noble appearance. One thing I can answer for, that neither in India, China, or Luzon, did I ever behold a domesticated buffalo with such a splendid pair of horns as those between which ” La Gironiere” is portrayed, in his book, as having triumphantly planted his naked foot. The domestic buffalo, or “caraboa”, as it is generally called in Luzon, is an ugly, leaden-coloured, ungainly animal in every way, excepting, perhaps, in the shortness of its legs; larger and more bulky than the generality of English cattle, it carries its head low, with its nose slightly upturned; its horns, though large, are generally rather receding; its tail, short, and ratty- looking, and its thick hide barely covered with very coarse short hair. In its walk, as in the heavy bulkiness of its body, it reminds one a good deal of the elephant; and though so exceedingly tame and docile, to those it is accustomed to, as to allow little children to lead it about and do whatever they like with it, yet to strangers, more especially Europeans, it manifests most unequivocal signs of enmity, and has been frequently found a most dangerous customer to encounter.

I have known several instances, particularly in China, of attacks made by these animals on strangers, and have experienced a few hair-breadth escapes myself. On one occasion, a lady was thrown from her horse and pitched, perhaps fortunately for herself, over a hedge, by one, and a good deal injured. At another time, a gentleman, who was going out shooting, had left one of his Chinese servants to follow him to his ground with the dogs, while he himself pushed on in a mountain chair (a light wickerwork affair on two bamboos, a good deal used in China for travelling), but finding that the man did not make his appearance as soon as he might have heen expected to do, he returned some little distance to look for him, and when found, the poor fellow was rolling on the ground, bellowing with pain; the explanation he gave of the accident that had befallen him was, in his own words,” That beef hab flog mi;” referable to a buffalo in the neighbourhood which had knocked him down and pummelled him most unmercifully.

The flesh of these animals is exceedingly coarse, light-coloured and ill-flavoured, and the skin, though thick, is too porous to make good leather; but the milk of the cow is better than that of other cattle, and makes, I believe, very good butter. They are used for ploughing, for drawing carts, or a kind of sledge on which the Indians in Luzon are fond of riding, and for all manner of agricultural purposes ; in general, they are most patient and enduring, only requiring a swim in some stream or pond, which they seem most thoroughly to enjoy, to keep them in good humour; and on this condition they are willing to labour from morning to night.

My indisposition increased so much as the morning sun became more powerful, that it was only by dismounting occasionally and laying down for a short time on the ground, that I could retain sufficient strength or energy to proceed at all. This state of things was not by any means bettered when a large wasp, which having flown into my face, as I brushed him off, struck his sting into the inner corner of my right eye, causing most excruciating pain, and so profuse a flow of what nature had, I suppose, intended for tears, as to deprive me of its sight for half-an-hour afterwards. At the suggestion of my companion, I stuck a large green leaf under my sombrero, in such a way as to shade it, and this had the double advantage of giving me a good deal of relief, and forming the subject of great amusement to the Indian girls we passed on approaching the more inhabited neighbourhoods. They evidently thought me mad, and no great wonder they did so.

The country here, though less steep and rugged, was almost as difficult to pass as that through which we had already made our way, being reduced to a perfect swamp by the water of the late rains running down into it from the higher lands. This aqueous tendency was also somewhat increased by the slight rise which intervened between us and the sea, before the final slope to the beach, rendering this locality, to a certain extent, a reservoir from both sides. After passing through a few straggling hamlets, which to horses and riders, equally jaded, were as ” hope deferred” of the village we were in quest of, we were at length rewarded by entering a pretty little pueblo, which our cargadores, with an air as much as to say, ” We know all about it now,” assured us was the long-sought Silan.

The place had an unusual air of neatness, cleanliness, and comfort, with little railed gardens in front of the nipa houses, and footpaths on either side of the regular, well-laid roads forming the streets, for the most part at right angles with each other. We were afterwards informed that a visit from the governor, who was refreshing himself with a little country air in the neighbourhood after his late rencontre, was anticipated, and that the place had been ordered by the authorities to be “done up” for his inspection; but whatever the cause, Silan yielded the palm to no other village of the kind we had met with in appearance.

A twenty-mile* mountain ride before breakfast on a restive horse, in a tropical climate, is not bad work under any circumstances, but when suffering from indisposition, of however temporary a nature, it is, to say the least of it, rather trying; and so I thought as I threw myself down on one of the narrow wooden benches in the tribunal, where we had gone to make inquiries about the practicability of proceeding further that day, t. e., with respect to fresh horses,- &c.; or in the event of non-progression being determined on (which I rather advocated, as far as I was concerned), the finding a house for our accommodation until the next morning. The latter course was eventually adopted, and a clean, well-ventilated Indian mansion selected, where the good people belonging to it did their utmost, and very satisfactorily succeeded, in making us comfortable.

* By the plan it is only twelve miles, but I imagine this is an error j or, possibly, our route had been more circuitous than we were aware of, for we had certainly ridden fully twenty miles.

A warm bath for my eye, a cold one to the body, a light breakfast, and a siesta after it, did much to restore me to my wonted health and spirits, and by the next morning my ailment, whatever it was, had quite passed off; and, with the exception of being a little bloodshot and weak, my eye had recovered the effects of Sir Wasp’s poisoned lance.

The house in which we had quartered ourselves was a fair specimen of the generality of those in use amongst the middle class of Indians. The structure, sufficiently lofty for one story, fitted with oyster-shell windows and sliding shutters, and composed in toto of bamboo and nipa palm, witli the leaves of which it was thatched, was raised on wooden piles, some fifteen feet above the ground, and the whole framework, roof and all, put together and secured without the assistance of a nail or morsel of iron of any description; wooden pegs, grass string, and slips of bamboo bark, answering the purpose throughout,* and leaving it, from its consequent elasticity, well adapted to resist the effects of earthquake or hurricane. The flattened bamboo floor has a delightful springy feel, and the slight odour emanating from the wood itself is not at all disagreeable.

There were three good-sized rooms leading into each other, besides kitchens and other offices, a little removed from them, but on the same platform; and here, for the first time in the course of upwards of twenty years’ journeyings, did I see what I had so frequently heard of, the custom of using pigs as general scavengers. Through a hole in one part of the raised platform descended filth and offal of every imaginable description, to be received and gobbled up beneath by loathsomely fat pigs, that fought and jostled each other for what almost any other created animal would have fled from in disgust. Surely, never was any epithet bestowed more deservingly than that of the “unclean” on their race. Yet, notwithstanding this, there are human beings so debased in idolatry as to venerate and adore, if not actually to worship them. Who that has visited Canton, or rather the Honan Temple on the opposite side of the river, has not seen the sacred pigs there kept, fed, and pampered by the Buddhist priests, until they are so grossly fat and unwieldy that few can walk. I think there were five or six when I last paid them a visit in 1855, and only one or two had the power of standing on their hallowed legs, but lay grunting their aspiralions to their hardly less swinish devotees, who would have considered it an imperative duty to have inflicted torture and death on any son of Adam who presumed so much as to slight these sweet emblems of purity.

The Chinese are, amongst other things, a very grossly-feeding people, and, notwithstanding that some pigs are held sacred, fat fresh pork is their great delight, and, strange to say, it seems to agree wonderfully well with them. I remember, in one instance, a boat-race was to be pulled in Hong Kong between European sailors and Chinese, and in making arrangements, tho Celestials were asked what refreshment they would prefer; I think it was two pounds of roasted pork each they requested, and this to be eaten, not after the race, but just before commencing it, to make them, as they expressed it, “Number one strong.” According to our ideas, it would have had anything but that effect, but not so with John Chinaman—

The pork was eaten
The English beaten,

and that was not by any means the only occasion on which, equally situated, and pulling in our own boats, they have beaten Europeans.

I think, taking the average amongst tho Chinese, they arc as little subject to sickness as almost any other nation; but their ideas, or rather manner of expressing their ailments, are peculiar. It was invariably either ” too much a hot inside, or too much a-colo” (cold). ” No can chow chow,” was a sad malady; but what amused me most the first time I heard the expression, was that of a Chinese servant I had, who requested one day that I would intercede with the doctor to give him a plaster to put on his shoulder, and when tho desired end to be obtained by so doing was asked, the reply was,” Wantchee” (want to) ” pull out that wind, hab got that wind inside that bone.” It was apparently rheumatism ; a strong blister was applied, as desired, and next day the report was ” that wind hab make a-wilo, no got more than small o’ piece now.”f It is seldom that they will put themselves under the treatment of European medical men, and, indeed, for anything not surgical, their own doctors seem to answer every purpose; they themselves say, ” Englishman no can save Chinaman; inside no belong all same Englishman, no make all same chow chow, how can makec all same inside;” and there are not a few foreigners who have in fevers, gout, and diseases peculiar to the climate, consulted with advantage the native practitioners.

But why this digression into Chinese matters? Talking of cures, preventions, and restoratives, here just over my head hangs something equal, nay, professedly superior, to all others of that ilk, a charm, the offspring of Holy Mother Church, to guard the possessor against many ills, but more especially Cholera. I know not whether our Episcopalian divines, who have lately seceded to Rome, include the issue and efficacy of charms amongst the list of the many list of things to be believed in—I had almost said, swallowed—but if anyone thinks I exaggerate or mistake as to the fact that charms* of this kind are given to the Indians in Manilla by the priests, let them inquire of Protestants who have been residents there, and I think the result will prove that my statement is correct.

But here, to balance the charm—spread out on a board, and framed picture-fashion—hangs another document; on inspection, it proves to be an invitation, or proclamation perhaps it might rather be called, of a grand cock-fight that is to take place a few days hence—the fiesta, funcion, or whatever you like to call it, given by an individual who has reasons to see it meet that he should make merry with his friends, to whom he promises to exert himself in every way to their entire amusement, and concludes with a fervent hope that, by the blessing of God, it will ” go off well.” There

* This charm was printed in the form of a cross.

were several other documents of minor importance hung up in a like manner, and not a few representations of rosy-cheeked saints, with yellow hair curling, one might almost say, straight on end, with white gowns, blue and red scarfs, crooks in their hands, witli their eyes turned up, their hands turned out, and their toes turned in, together with representations of the Virgin passing through vicissitudes of life on which our heretical ” Big Book” is wholly silent.

While strolling about the village, and a shower of rain coming on, I was induced to seek shelter in one of the Indian houses, and found myself in the company of an old man and woman, and two pretty girls, their daughters. Only the paterfamilias could speak any Spanish, so that all correspondence with the young ladies was limited to what compliments he might care to translate and the universal language of the eyes. They were exceedingly simple and primitive in their manners and information, but bore all that air of natural good breeding which the Spaniards seem so generally to impart. The Indians, at least those in the remoter districts, have an idea that all white men are Spaniards, or at all events that they must know all about the mother country; accordingly, I was regularly put through my facings with respect to many points, regarding which they evinced a certain degree of laudable curiosity. In all of these I answered with as much confidence as though I had travelled the country from end to end, instead of, as the case really stood, never having once planted my foot on the soil of old Spain. Amongst other things, they were anxious to know whether the betel-nut grew in Hispana, and the “bouya” was in use; to which, endeavouring to assume as much haughtiness as possible, I replied that, ” thank God, in Spain, people neither wasted the ground by growing such noxious weeds, nor defiled themselves with such filthy habits.” This of course had to be qualified by other comparisons, where the balance- beam was kicked in favour of the Philippines, more especially in expatiating on the beauty of its daughters.

In the afternoon, much to our surprise, a dinner of at least half a dozen well-cooked dishes was spread for us. On inquiry as to its origin, we found it to be the handiwork of the cook employed by the priest of the village, but whether lent by his reverence for the purpose, obtained by our host, or altogether a voluntary matter on the part of the ” cuisinier ” himself, was not quite apparent, although he took credit for the latter. In the course of the evening, we paid a visit to the padre, a keen-eyed Spaniard, with whom two gentlemen were staying who had lately arrived from some Government employment in one of the more distant provinces, and some very interesting information they gave us respecting them. Many parts they described as perfectly impassable after the commencement of the rains . They had also had a little experience in wild buffalo-hunting, but had never seen them cither tilted at from horseback, or shot from the ground « la Gironiere!—shooting them from trees was the style of hunting they had always seen adopted: a great sign of the degeneration of our times! Nor had they been fortunate enough to encounter any brain-feast or cannibalism of any description in Luzon—a great sign of the march of civilization and improvement in the same period.

Long before we could discover any signs of approaching daylight, the voices of, I am sure, not less than twenty or thirty hoarse-crowing cocks were resounding above, below, inside the house, outside the house, and in fact bid fair, as the chroniclers of ]5rahm* tell us he did at last, to fill all space. Such a dreadful row they made that further repose was impossible; so making the best of it, we set to work to effect an early start for Cavitc. While doing so, in walked our friend the priest’s cook, who came with the twofold object of bidding us the compliments of the morning, and expressing his regret and disappointment at our having left his master’s (the padre’s) house the night before, ere we had tasted of a most luxurious supper he had prepared for us. Now, as it happened that our visit to his reverence had been of a nature precisely the reverse of that admired by little boys generally, that is “all cake and no conversation,” and as the good father had never hinted at refreshment of any kind (barring cigars),we were somewhat sceptical as to the fact of this entertainment ever having existed, except, like that of Caleb Balderstone in the ” Bride of Lammer- moor,” in imagination; but whether the glowing description he gave us of it was intended to redound to the credit of his master, or with a view to enhancing the value of his services to us, was, and still is, a matter of uncertainty. This individual, not unlike the travelled exquisite we had encountered yesterday on the banks of the Taal, was exceedingly facetious and communicative, and came very much under the head of what is generally termed a ” diverting vagabond.” Besides his occupation as cook to the padre, he informed us that he possessed considerable talents and acquirements in the medical line ; could bleed, draw teeth, cure most diseases, shave, cut hair, and tell fortunes; in fact, according to his own account, there were few things required to be done for the benefit of man or beast in the village and country round, for which his services were not called in requisition, and he threw out at the same time indistinct hints of the great power and influence that his exalted posi
tion gave him, especially among the fair sex, concluding by applying to himself something equivalent to that expression so much in nsc amongst the style of middle-aged bachelors generally known as “gay old boys,” that he was a ” sad clog.”

* The followers of Brahm assert that before aught else existed he had being, hut was so small that the point of the finest needle would not touch him, until he began to dilate so effectually tliat at length he filled all space; hence to them everything is more or less sacred, as being a component part of him. This I advance under correction, hut I know it to be the belief of tho natives of one portion of the Malabar coast of India.

Fresh and superior horses were ready for us, and I had after some trouble succeeded in securing a crupper for the saddle this time, profiting by the dire experience of yesterday, although the country before us, as the event proved, was not sufficiently hilly to render it all so necessary. Our host, who was going to Manilla on business, volunteered to accompany us, and brought besides a mounted guide, so that our party looked quite formidable. The cargadores we had dispatched some hours on before us, and after bestowing thanks and other matters more tangible on the kind people whose house we had occupied, and the gentleman of many callings, whose professional attainments had tended both to our satisfaction and amusement, and who accepted the former in all the high-toned politeness of the Spaniard, and the latter as it were unconsciously, and as though he would feign that his left hand should not know what his right was receiving, we cantered off shortly after daylight from the pretty little pueblo of Silan, in all the buoyancy of spirits that time and place were calculated to inspire.

Our cantering, however, was not of long duration, for we had hardly cleared the precincts of the village when we came on the second edition of yesterday’s swamp, and for several miles we were wading and dragging through it, frequently up to the saddle girths. After this it improved and widened, and for the last half of the distance was a very fair country road. Our guide bestrode an extraordinary looking animal, of which he appeared to be very proud. As he rode on just before me, he often turned round, and patting it with great affection, exclaiming, ” Mi- a-bootie,” (” good ” in Tagalan,) which sounded so very like ” my beauty,” that at first I involuntarily exclaimed, “All according to taste.” I remarked, indeed, a certain degree of rivalry between the guide and our late host, both with respect to their horses and horsemanship; of the former, there was about the difference existing between six and half-a-dozen, but in the latter the guide gained a great triumph, and enjoyed it with broad grin, when the other, by a plunge of his horse, was sent spinning over the animal’s head into the slough, after being extricated from which his appearance caused me to smile almost involuntarily, as I recalled to mind the ” Knight of the rueful countenance.”

The streams, which are numerous, are taken advantage of in this part of the country for the erection of water-mills, of which we passed several, besides some neat-looking farmsteads; the scenery also being exceedingly soft and pretty. It had been our intention to have gone on by land the whole way to Cavite, but the gentlemen we had met last night at the priest’s house had told us that by going to Old Cavite, which is on the inner side of the Bay, exactly opposite to the new town, and crossing to the latter in a banca, we would save many miles of an uninteresting ride round the head of Cavite Bay, avoid exposure to the sun, and make more sure of being in time for a Manilla passage-boat, and this plan we had now determined to adopt. I was told that the country-place so highly spoken of by Gironiere, Tierra Alta, is in this part of the island, and that it fully deserved the eulogy he bestowed on it, which, from the nature of the scenery generally, I could easily imagine; nor have the bands of Tulisanies he speaks of ceased to lend a certain degree of interest and romance to the neighbourhood.

The town of Imos lies a little off the main road, but, ns I was determined to see all, when we got into il'< vicinity 1 galloped oft’ to have a look at it, while my companions, who had been there before, jogged on quietly towards the Bay. Seeing I was determined to go, ” our host” went with me, but evidently in great wonderment as to what had induced me to move off in this direction. Imus is a good-sized place, graced by a large . yellow church and a convento; * the latter, however,

* I forget whether I before remarked that these conventos (attached to the churches are simply ” the parsonages,” not con- Tents in Hie ordinary sense.

appeared to be a good deal out of order, and, indeed, one part of it in a ruinous state. It was market- day, and the large square in the centre of the town was thronged with buyers and sellers of all manner of both native and foreign produce, who, with their gay and various costumes, strange dialect, and many different shades of complexion, formed a novel and interesting spectacle well worth the trouble taken to see it. The sudden appearance of an uncouth, mud-besmeared foreigner, with a revolver in hi.s belt, who dashed into the square, took a few minutes gaze round him, and then as suddenly bolted oil* again, seemed rather to draw their attention from the legitimate business of the day, and many were the inquiring looks by which he was followed; but a lapses memories on his own part very nearly made him pay dearly for his visit, the brief recital of which will conclude this part of my adventures and the chapter at the same time.
-, Old Cavite is generally known amongst the folks—in the neighbourhood—by another- name, .which I forget now, but imagine it to the Tagalan priest. On leaving Imus I could not, had ifMbecn””to save my life, remember this name, and my Indian companion, who viewed my movements with great bewilderment as to what I might do next, never seemed to imagine it possible that I intended to rejoin my party, and was perfectly useless in the way of putting me on the right scent for doing so…

END

Like this:

LikeLoading...

6 thoughts on “Anciano Research Collection”

I have not checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend🙂

This could be one particular unique of the most valuable websites We have ever arrive across on this subject matter. Really Impressive. I am also a specialist in this matter so I can understand your tough do the job.

WELCOME

Welcome to the virtual museum of Silang, Cavite, an online venue to showcase the rich local history of one of the oldest towns of the Philippines.
This will provide viewers with a glimpse of a forgotten world highlighting various changes in society, government, culture and rural landscape.
Its virtual gallery brings together old photographs courtesy of the local people, from antiquarian books and private collections, and the National Archives. It also offers the local community a venue to discuss local history and to fill in the vacuum of information on the internet on local historical heritage.
Contributors are very much welcome to join in this historical venture.